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

Word bank: fall · racket · capital · season · march · wound · pop · swing

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — music
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. march — music
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. capital — money
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. season — of the year
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — soda
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pop — 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