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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — in music
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — hasty
  14. spell — magic
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. key — for a lock
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — a series
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chest — a box

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