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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cell — in biology
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bound — certain
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. row — a line
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bound — tied together

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