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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · rule · spring · race · stock · snap

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rule — a law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stock — goods
  10. rule — government
  11. snap — to click
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — of water
  14. race — a contest
  15. stock — shares
  16. race — humankind
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rule — to rule out

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