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: sharp · straw · swing · mine · toast · season · temple · fall

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — for digging
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. swing — music
  11. toast — bread
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fall — the season
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mine — belonging to me

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