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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — final
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. last — to go on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mine — for digging
  19. season — of the year
  20. lean — thin
  21. present — a gift
  22. pop — soda
  23. last — finally
  24. wound — an injury

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