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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of a king
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — a law
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pass — a permit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. court — of law
  19. rush — hurry
  20. shower — rain
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rule — government

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