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: pit · root · charge · tear · fall · saw · rush · cold

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. charge — in control
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. charge — electricity
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tear — to rip
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a hole

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