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: spell · mate · straw · stand · season · wound · land · nail

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. season — in sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — to come down
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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