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: tear · bear · stick · net · bound · fork · date · sharp

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. net — for catching
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — in sport
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. net — after costs
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bear — to put up with

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