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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — an illness
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — a tin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. club — for golf
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rash — hasty
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — not warm
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rash — a series
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitcher — a jug

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