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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. last — to go on
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. last — final
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. last — finally
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. board — a committee
  15. march — music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. board — to get on
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. lean — thin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — hurry

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