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: game · season · last · rest · fall · bay · spring · hide

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — a match
  5. spring — the season
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. season — of the year
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — a break
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. game — wild animals
  24. last — finally

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