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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — an injury
  4. craft — boats
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. object — an aim
  9. pit — a hole
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. last — finally
  14. pit — in a race
  15. object — a thing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. saw — the tool
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. object — to protest
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. craft — a handicraft

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