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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tear — to rip
  3. deal — to handle
  4. squash — the sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bat — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — a grade
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. row — to paddle

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