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: saw · dip · tear · capital · racket · bear · present · kid

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. present — a gift
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — to tease
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tear — to rip
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to sink
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. present — the time now
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. present — there
  24. racket — a loud noise

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