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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. perch — the fish
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — from a university
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. squash — the sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. squash — to crush
  21. content — happy
  22. mate — a partner
  23. degree — temperature
  24. trunk — of a car

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