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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. last — final
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. net — after costs
  12. last — to go on
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — of the year
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — finally
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wake — a trail
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bass — low music

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