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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — magic
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. clip — to cut
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — a contest
  19. swing — to play on
  20. race — the arms race
  21. swing — music
  22. race — humankind
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. deal — to handle

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