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 116 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: chair · tear · rash · racket · land · lie · pound · key

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held 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. rash — hasty
  2. chair — a leader
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — a country
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pound — a weight
  8. key — for a lock
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lie — to recline
  17. key — in music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chair — a professorship
  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