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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — humankind
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — the season

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