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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mug — to rob
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. field — a subject
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mug — a cup
  15. field — farmland
  16. mug — a face
  17. race — humankind
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — to bear

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