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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fine — all right
  4. present — there
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. fine — high quality
  13. present — a gift
  14. march — music
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — the time now
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — to tease
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kid — child

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