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 propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mate — a friend
  5. swing — to play on
  6. toast — bread
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spring — of water
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — music
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. toast — the most admired

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