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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. clip — a video
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fork — in a road
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bound — certain
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wave — with your hand

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