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 120 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: wound · swing · tube · sharp · file · board · bowl · squash

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tube — a container
  4. file — a document
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. squash — the sport
  7. board — to get on
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wound — an injury
  14. file — a tool
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a line of people
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. board — a committee
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — a flat piece

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