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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. cold — an illness
  5. present — a gift
  6. swing — music
  7. present — the time now
  8. row — to paddle
  9. firm — a company
  10. fall — the season
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rash — hasty
  14. firm — steady
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — there
  21. swing — to play on
  22. firm — decided
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cold — not warm

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