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 · kid · bay · rock · cell · spell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — a short time
  4. kid — child
  5. rock — music
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rock — a stone
  8. spell — magic
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — in biology
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. spell — letters
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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