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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cold — not warm
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bank — of a river
  24. scale — in music

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