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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · ground · swing · rash · press · wind · perch · bulb

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ground — a position
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ground — crushed
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. swing — to play on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. swing — music

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