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 120 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a great time
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. ball — a dance
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — after costs
  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