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: wind · deal · fan · rash · game · snap · current · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — wild animals
  3. current — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — to handle
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — electric
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wind — moving air
  16. current — happening now
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to click
  24. rash — a series

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