ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to point toward
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — part of the head
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — to rip
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to confront
  17. march — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — from a university
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. snap — to click
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com