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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bore — to drill
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — farmland
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — a horse colour

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