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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. swing — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wind — moving air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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