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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. spell — magic
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bowl — a football final

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