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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kick — in football
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cap — a hat
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bear — the animal

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