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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fall — the season
  4. wake — a trail
  5. field — farmland
  6. fall — to drop
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. shower — rain
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spell — magic
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a great time
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — before a funeral

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