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: pass · last · cold · rock · file · prune · wave · sharp

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. file — a document
  3. last — final
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. last — finally
  7. sharp — clever
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rock — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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