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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spring — the season
  10. press — newspapers
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. press — a publisher
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — to push
  18. capital — money
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — a city
  24. pass — to spend time

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