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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. content — the amount
  3. bound — obliged
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — tied together
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. season — in sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. shower — to wash
  11. content — happy
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. shower — rain
  17. cold — not warm
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bound — certain
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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