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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cue — a hint
  3. last — to go on
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. mine — for digging
  6. last — finally
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. row — a line
  24. cue — for pool

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