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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chest — a box
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spell — magic
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ball — a great time
  24. mouse — the animal

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