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 120 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: tear · row · fall · nail · bank · chair · face · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — a line
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — for money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chair — a leader

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