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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hand — help
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. band — a ring
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chair — a leader
  9. band — a music group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rash — a series
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chair — a professorship

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