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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — a trail
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cell — in biology

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