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 124 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bass — the fish
  6. present — there
  7. last — final
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. present — a gift
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — hurry
  12. march — music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. present — the time now
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. last — finally
  24. kick — in football

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