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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fall — the season
  8. roll — a list
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fall — to drop
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spell — letters
  17. present — the time now
  18. fall — to drop
  19. present — there
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. present — a gift
  23. spell — magic
  24. coach — a trainer

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