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: sharp · net · kid · pass · roll · rock · tear · coach

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. roll — a cake
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. tear — from crying
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. net — after costs
  7. roll — a list
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — child
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. pass — a permit
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — to rip

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