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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. swing — in golf
  3. net — for catching
  4. stand — to bear
  5. spell — magic
  6. swing — to play on
  7. net — in sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cold — not warm
  14. swing — music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tube — a container
  24. net — after costs

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