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: fork · wound · wind · stick · date · bear · shower · squash

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. squash — to crush
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wind — moving air
  5. shower — rain
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — in a road
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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