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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tear — to rip
  7. root — of a word
  8. sharp — clever
  9. snap — to click
  10. season — of the year
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — the cause
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — a break
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. sharp — with an edge

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