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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fine — all right
  4. last — finally
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cue — for pool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cue — a signal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. last — final
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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