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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitch — completely
  5. kid — to tease
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kid — child
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. row — a line
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hide — animal skin

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