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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. present — a gift
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — in music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. firm — decided
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. firm — steady
  14. snap — to click
  15. march — music
  16. present — there
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. firm — a company
  20. fork — in a road
  21. scale — size or range
  22. wound — an injury
  23. last — to go on
  24. present — the time now

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