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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pop — soda
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. last — final
  11. rule — government
  12. last — finally
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pop — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. last — to go on
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. saw — the tool

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