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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. swing — music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rock — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — to handle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

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