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: saw · rest · jam · land · tear · dip · shower · court

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. land — ground
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. tear — from crying
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — a break
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — to rip
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. saw — the tool
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — of law
  24. rest — what's left

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