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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lean — thin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wake — a trail
  20. content — happy
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — the amount
  24. pass — to spend time

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