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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — boats
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mug — to rob
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a face
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — clever
  16. current — happening now
  17. mug — a cup
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. patient — a sick person

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