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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. season — of the year
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bound — certain
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. drill — army training
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cold — not warm
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — in sport

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