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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. tear — from crying
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bear — the animal

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