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: march · wake · wave · vault · object · spring · mate · wind

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. object — an aim
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — a coil
  11. vault — a safe
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — to breed
  14. march — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wave — of the sea

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