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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spring — the season
  5. bat — the animal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — a committee
  14. spell — a short time
  15. root — the cause
  16. spring — a coil
  17. root — of a word
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — of water
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — letters
  24. bat — in an idiom

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