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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. charge — a price
  13. wind — moving air
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spell — magic
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport

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