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: cold · toast · swing · shower · wound · object · pass · game

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. object — to protest
  4. shower — rain
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. object — an aim
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. toast — bread
  14. swing — music
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. game — a match
  23. cold — an illness
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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