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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bound — certain
  3. saw — the tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — letters
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. last — final
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. track — a path
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a song
  20. last — finally
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. last — to go on
  24. bound — obliged

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