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: wind · saw · sharp · chest · firm · charge · wake · squash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chest — of your body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. saw — the tool
  5. firm — a company
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — moving air
  12. firm — decided
  13. sharp — clever
  14. chest — a box
  15. firm — steady
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wake — a trail

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