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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mate — a friend
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mate — to breed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. mate — a partner
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. swing — music
  24. wind — moving air

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