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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. spring — of water
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fall — the season
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spring — the season
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stand — to bear
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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