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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. race — humankind
  3. tear — from crying
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. race — a contest
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — final
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. last — to go on
  21. hand — help
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tear — to rip
  24. perch — for a bird

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