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: wound · coach · racket · race · wind · saw · wave · land

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. saw — the tool
  6. race — humankind
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. race — a contest
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — the arms race
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. land — to come down
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wound — an injury

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