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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — a series
  4. current — of water
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. present — a gift
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — there
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — the underground
  12. present — the time now
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — for golf
  18. tube — a container
  19. club — a group
  20. ground — a position
  21. current — electric
  22. wind — moving air
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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