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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — for sport
  3. tear — to rip
  4. craft — boats
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — farmland
  15. charge — in control
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — a subject
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rock — music

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