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: court · rock · tear · ground · mark · dip · kick · row

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ground — a position
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rock — music
  7. row — a line
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. court — for sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. court — of a king
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mark — a trace
  20. court — of law
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. mark — a grade

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