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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — a practice
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. drill — army training
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. straw — dry grass

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