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 · wind · squash · spell · capital · hand · bank · rest

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bank — for money
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bank — of a river
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. spell — magic
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — money
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the sport
  21. hand — help
  22. capital — a city
  23. rest — a break
  24. swing — music

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