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 116 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: cabinet · swing · game · pit · tear · row · rash · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. swing — music
  3. row — a line
  4. tear — to rip
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — a match
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. season — in sport
  22. rash — a series
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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