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 120 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. season — in sport
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. file — a tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a line of people
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wound — an injury

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