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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — letters
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pit — a hole
  8. sharp — clever
  9. staff — employees
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — after costs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. sharp — exactly

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