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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stock — goods
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — government
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. row — to paddle
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — a line
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rule — a law
  21. net — for catching
  22. tear — to rip
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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