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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a ring
  9. rash — a series
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. branch — a division
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. band — a music group
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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