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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — goods
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. firm — steady
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tear — from crying
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — a subject
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stock — shares

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