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: date · straw · cabinet · cap · bass · wake · file · last

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. last — to go on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bass — the fish
  12. date — the fruit
  13. last — final
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. last — finally
  21. bass — low music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a lid

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