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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — hasty
  10. file — a document
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a line of people
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rash — a series
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tear — to rip
  22. file — a tool
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. sharp — exactly

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