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: last · clip · straw · plane · dip · mate · rest · wake

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. clip — for paper
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mate — a partner
  16. dip — to sink
  17. clip — a video
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. clip — to cut
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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