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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. march — music
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chip — to eat
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — an illness
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — completely

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