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

Word bank: wind · wound · tube · roll · pitch · lean · racket · ball

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. roll — a cake
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ball — a great time
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a dance
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tube — a container
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lean — thin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. ball — a round shape

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