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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — a song
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. track — a path
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — help
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lean — to bend

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