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

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stand — to bear
  4. last — to go on
  5. swing — to play on
  6. game — wild animals
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cue — for pool
  10. last — final
  11. cue — a signal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. swing — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — of a word
  21. game — a match
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. swing — in golf

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