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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. land — to come down
  4. firm — decided
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — ground
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. toast — bread
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hand — help
  16. firm — a company
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. firm — steady
  21. tear — from crying
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. land — a country
  24. tear — to rip

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