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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — clever
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. board — to get on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — farmland
  18. board — a committee
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. field — for sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. field — a subject
  24. swing — music

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