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 120 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rest — a break
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tube — a container
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — of water
  24. pass — a permit

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