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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. swing — in golf
  4. press — to push
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. march — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wound — an injury
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. game — wild animals
  15. swing — to play on
  16. game — a match
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kid — child
  20. press — newspapers
  21. march — the month
  22. kid — to tease
  23. press — a publisher
  24. march — the month

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