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: board · cold · stand · pit · saw · last · wake · net

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. net — after costs
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cold — an illness
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. last — finally
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — in a race
  17. board — a committee
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cold — not warm

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