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 124 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mug — to rob
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rash — hasty
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — after costs
  14. date — the fruit
  15. drill — army training
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — a series
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mug — a cup
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a path
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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