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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — music
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. squash — the sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rest — a break
  16. sharp — clever
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — a trail

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