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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pit — in a race
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fall — the season
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cold — the Cold War

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