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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. game — a match
  8. shower — to wash
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — rain
  20. spell — letters
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — what's left

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