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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — music
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. swing — in golf
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. row — a line
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pop — soda
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. swing — to play on

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