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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — a trail
  9. craft — boats
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — finally
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. clip — for paper
  24. craft — a skill

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