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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spell — magic
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — happy
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. spell — letters
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cold — an illness
  24. content — the amount

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