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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mine — for digging
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. current — electric
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — a box
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. net — after costs
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — of the year
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. current — of water
  24. wave — of the sea

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