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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — the season
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lie — to recline
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wound — an injury

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