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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. rock — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. dip — to sink
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — farmland
  11. branch — a division
  12. cold — not warm
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — in a race
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. field — for sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. dip — a sauce

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