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 · squash · racket · ground · rest · cell · bound · spring

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — a break
  7. spring — the season
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ground — a position
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — certain
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spring — of water
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. squash — the vegetable

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