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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. last — finally
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rock — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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