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 124 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — for catching
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pop — music
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mug — a face
  14. last — final
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mug — a cup
  17. last — to go on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — finally
  21. fine — all right
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fork — in a road

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