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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — the season
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fall — to drop
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bore — to tire

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