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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. present — the time now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — finally
  6. prune — to trim
  7. object — to protest
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. object — a thing
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. object — an aim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. last — final
  22. present — a gift
  23. last — to go on
  24. present — there

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