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: pit · game · chip · rush · lie · land · leaves · tear

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tear — to rip
  4. game — a match
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. land — to come down
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chip — to eat
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chip — for betting
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — a thrill

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