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: press · fall · tear · bat · season · pit · last · bear

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — newspapers
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. season — in sport
  21. press — to push
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fall — the season

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