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: swing · wound · toast · plane · rash · stand · hand · field

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. field — farmland
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. swing — music
  12. hand — help
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. hand — in cards
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stand — to bear
  23. toast — bread
  24. stand — for spectators

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