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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — finally
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — to go on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — final

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