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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — soda
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — a break
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bark — to shout
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rest — what's left
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rest — what's left

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