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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. scale — size or range
  3. content — the amount
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — to shout
  19. content — happy
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cold — an illness
  22. key — in music
  23. cold — not warm
  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