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: face · last · wave · can · cold · rule · pop · season

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cold — not warm
  5. last — to go on
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. last — final
  8. face — to point toward
  9. can — a tin
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. rule — a law
  13. pop — to visit
  14. face — to confront
  15. last — finally
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rule — government
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cold — the Cold War

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