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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rash — a series
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pop — soda
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pop — to visit
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pop — music
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wave — of the sea

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