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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. clip — for paper
  3. ground — the earth
  4. root — of a plant
  5. land — a country
  6. ground — crushed
  7. land — to come down
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a partner
  13. land — ground
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — to breed
  16. root — of a word
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — a friend
  20. clip — a video
  21. root — the cause
  22. ground — a position
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — to cut

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