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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hand — help
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. tube — a container
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — for golf
  13. lie — to recline
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. club — a group
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lie — an untruth

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