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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mate — a friend
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cold — not warm
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — in sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. current — of water
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. cold — an illness
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — a partner

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