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

Word bank: clip · wave · cold · ground · saw · wake · can · racket

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ground — crushed
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. clip — a video
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ground — the earth

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