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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. net — in sport
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — a contest
  11. dip — to sink
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. craft — boats
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — after costs
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. race — humankind
  20. net — for catching
  21. tear — to rip
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stock — goods
  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