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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — to come down
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. land — a country
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fall — the season
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. swing — music

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