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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — to come down
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — to crush
  18. land — ground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rest — a break

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