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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. bat — the animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. last — final
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — finally
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mark — a grade
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. land — a country
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rock — a stone
  21. shower — rain
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. land — ground

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