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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ball — a dance

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