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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. craft — a skill
  16. face — to confront
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. swing — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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