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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — in music
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wake — a trail
  20. march — music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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