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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bass — the fish
  5. row — a line
  6. firm — decided
  7. object — an aim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. firm — a company
  12. bass — low music
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. object — a thing
  15. firm — steady
  16. pit — in a race
  17. object — to protest
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — the Cold War

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