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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. field — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — farmland
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. field — a subject
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rest — what's left
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cold — an illness
  16. staff — employees
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wind — moving air
  19. present — a gift
  20. perch — the fish
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. staff — employees
  24. rest — a break

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