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: date · tear · bear · wind · ground · foot · chest · drill

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wind — moving air
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chest — a box
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — a practice

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