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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — of a river
  7. club — for dancing
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bank — for money
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. club — for golf
  18. fork — in a road
  19. club — a group
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bank — for money

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