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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a skill
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. swing — to play on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. swing — in golf
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. last — finally
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. last — final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — for catching

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