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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. march — the month
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — the month
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spell — letters
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. tear — to rip
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. capital — a city
  20. spell — a short time
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. spell — magic
  23. capital — money
  24. march — music

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