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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spring — the season
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a hole
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — to wash
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. suit — clothes
  20. spring — a coil
  21. shower — rain
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pit — in a race

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