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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mate — a partner
  4. last — to go on
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. last — final
  13. mate — to breed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. charge — in control
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — finally
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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