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 116 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. The water is too ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cold — an illness
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. staff — employees
  7. cell — in biology
  8. game — wild animals
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stand — to bear
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cell — a phone
  21. swing — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. craft — boats
  24. game — a kind of play

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