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: mark · kick · season · wound · mug · branch · tear · pitcher

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — a trace
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kick — in football
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — a division
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mark — to pay attention

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