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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. vault — a safe
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a ring
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hide — to keep secret

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