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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. lean — thin
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. tear — to rip
  10. present — there
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chip — for betting
  13. present — the time now
  14. pop — soda
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — of water
  17. lean — to bend
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chip — to eat

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