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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · bass · cold · wound · drill · net · stick · coach

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cold — not warm
  8. net — in sport
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wake — a trail
  11. net — after costs
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cold — the Cold War

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