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: bay · bowl · rock · cold · mate · pitcher · tear · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mate — a partner
  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