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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tear — to rip
  6. dip — to sink
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bass — low music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bass — the fish
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — help
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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