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 116 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: deal · squash · racket · rash · march · wake · wound · kid

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. wake — a trail
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rash — a series
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — child

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