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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pit — in a race
  3. band — a ring
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spell — letters
  6. net — for catching
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spell — a short time
  18. band — a music group
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — a series
  22. net — after costs
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — a trail

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