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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bound — tied together
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hand — help
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — certain
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. date — the fruit
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bound — obliged
  22. hand — in cards
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. dip — to dunk

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