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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. last — finally
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. object — to protest
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. last — final
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. season — in sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ground — a position
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — an aim
  18. bat — the animal
  19. season — of the year
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. jam — in traffic

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