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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — help
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mate — a friend
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a music group

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