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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. race — humankind
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — to come down
  12. swing — in golf
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wake — a trail
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cue — a hint
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — a country
  20. race — a contest
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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