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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a word
  8. wind — moving air
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. present — the time now
  11. season — in sport
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — there
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — a gift
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tear — to rip
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — a straw man

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