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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spring — a coil
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rest — a break
  7. mine — for digging
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hand — help
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rest — what's left
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wave — of the sea

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