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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cold — not warm
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — finally
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spring — the season
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. branch — a division
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. spring — of water

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