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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. last — final
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. last — to go on
  8. wake — a trail
  9. last — finally
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cue — for pool
  16. scale — in music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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