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: arm · season · land · wake · wound · rush · key · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rush — hurry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. key — in music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. season — of the year

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