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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — a break
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hand — help
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rash — a series
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rule — a law
  24. deal — an agreement

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