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: ground · wave · rush · wake · mark · file · cold · mug

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mug — a face
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. file — a document
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. file — a tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cold — an illness

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