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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. track — a song
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — letters
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. club — for dancing
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ball — a great time
  14. track — a path
  15. row — to paddle
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for golf
  21. row — a line
  22. club — a group
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ball — a dance

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