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: wave · wound · last · fine · bowl · staff · temple · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — high quality
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. season — of the year
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — final
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. staff — employees

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