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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pass — a permit
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — in biology
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. last — final
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. last — to go on
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. scale — in music
  24. spell — magic

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