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 120 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: dip · hide · bowl · wound · tear · fork · season · bore

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. dip — to sink
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. season — in sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — of the year
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tear — from crying

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