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: swing · racket · stand · shower · temple · wound · net · cold

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. swing — in golf
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. shower — rain
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. swing — to play on
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. temple — a place of worship

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