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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mark — a grade
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to click
  13. fall — the season
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — to drop
  18. march — the month
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fall — to drop

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