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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. net — in sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. last — to go on
  16. net — for catching
  17. last — final
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. last — finally
  24. net — after costs

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