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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — humankind
  7. mark — a grade
  8. board — to get on
  9. shower — rain
  10. race — a contest
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a trace
  14. race — the arms race
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cell — a phone
  17. board — a committee
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — there
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tear — to rip

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