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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. hand — in cards
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tear — to rip
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — a straw man
  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