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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. suit — clothes
  7. snap — to click
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. root — the cause
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fork — in a road
  22. season — of the year
  23. root — of a word
  24. cold — an illness

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