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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. root — the cause
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. squash — to crush
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. bear — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. root — of a word
  21. tear — from crying
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — from crying

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