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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. tear — to rip
  5. net — after costs
  6. shower — to wash
  7. dip — to sink
  8. clip — a video
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mark — a grade
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — in sport
  24. clip — to cut

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