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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bound — certain
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lean — thin
  7. file — a tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — the season
  10. file — a document
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rock — music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. roll — a cake
  18. date — the fruit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wake — a trail
  23. roll — a list
  24. lean — to bend

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