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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. kid — child
  3. land — ground
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — magic
  8. last — finally
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — a country
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wake — a trail
  22. kid — to tease
  23. last — to go on
  24. row — a line

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