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: cell · wave · cold · trunk · snap · key · toast · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. key — in music
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. snap — to click
  20. cold — not warm
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cell — in biology
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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