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: tear · date · wind · ball · bear · march · rash · mine

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. march — music
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a dance
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — hasty
  18. march — the month
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — to rip
  24. date — on the calendar

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