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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ball — a dance
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. lean — to bend
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — finally
  14. root — of a word
  15. lean — thin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. root — the cause
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitch — completely

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