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: ball · cold · kid · ground · wave · rest · present · firm

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ground — the earth
  3. present — the time now
  4. cold — not warm
  5. firm — decided
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. firm — steady
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cold — an illness
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. ground — a position
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kid — child
  22. ball — a dance
  23. firm — a company
  24. ball — a great time

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