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: spell · shower · tear · mug · clip · safe · content · tube

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. content — happy
  3. spell — magic
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. tube — a container
  6. clip — a video
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spell — letters
  9. mug — to rob
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spell — a short time
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mug — a face
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. tube — the underground
  20. content — the amount
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — to rip
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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