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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. cold — an illness
  3. land — to come down
  4. saw — the tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. land — a country
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — for digging
  15. craft — boats
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — ground
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. firm — a company
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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