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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — for golf
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chest — of your body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. club — a group
  17. bound — certain
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. season — of the year

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