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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — magic
  7. rush — hurry
  8. suit — clothes
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spell — a short time
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. suit — to fit
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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