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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. swing — to play on
  10. present — the time now
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. swing — music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bulb — for light
  20. present — a gift
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pass — a permit
  24. tear — from crying

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