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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — a series
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. can — a tin
  11. root — the cause
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. root — of a word
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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