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: tear · cold · fan · safe · mate · root · pit · bear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pit — a hole
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. root — of a word
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pit — in a race

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