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

Word bank: ground · mark · charge · shower · rock · rush · fork · tear

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ground — the earth
  7. charge — a price
  8. rock — music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. charge — in control
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — a trace
  13. shower — rain
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ground — a position
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fork — a garden tool

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