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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. object — to protest
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. object — an aim
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. object — a thing
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. club — for dancing
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. club — for golf
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. club — a group
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — the animal

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