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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. kick — in football
  11. ground — a position
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — a country
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. land — ground
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bat — 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