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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. snap — to click
  3. dip — to sink
  4. land — a country
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. row — a line
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rest — what's left
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — finally
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stem — to come from
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stem — of a plant

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