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: season · hide · pop · bear · bay · chest · tear · cell

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pop — soda
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pop — to visit
  21. season — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pop — music

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