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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a great time
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. last — final
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. last — finally
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stock — goods
  22. last — to go on
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kick — in football

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