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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — help
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — a leader
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — of a river
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bat — the animal
  20. content — the amount
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. tear — from crying

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