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: fine · chest · bank · tear · fan · bat · object · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fine — high quality
  8. object — an aim
  9. bank — for money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fine — all right
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — a thing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chest — of your body
  20. object — to protest
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — for baseball

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