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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fine — all right
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. track — a song
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. track — a path
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — a trail
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. present — the time now
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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