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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — a phone
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. firm — decided
  9. date — the fruit
  10. firm — steady
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. object — a thing
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. roll — a list
  19. wound — an injury
  20. object — an aim
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — to protest

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