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: cue · last · pit · firm · fan · mate · shower · wind

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. firm — a company
  4. mate — a partner
  5. firm — decided
  6. last — final
  7. mate — to breed
  8. shower — to wash
  9. firm — steady
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. last — finally
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — rain

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