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: bat · dip · bound · drill · tear · pass · arm · craft

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — tied together
  9. drill — a practice
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. drill — army training
  14. craft — boats
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. drill — the tool
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bound — certain
  22. tear — to rip
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bat — the animal

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