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 116 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 · fall · wake · pass · ground · fan · game · saw

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ground — the earth
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pass — a permit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. last — finally
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a match
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — a position
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — crushed
  22. last — final
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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