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: cap · wave · present · sharp · nail · swing · game · kid

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — music
  3. present — there
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. swing — in golf
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cap — a lid
  15. kid — child
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — a match
  24. wave — of the sea

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