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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mate — a partner
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mate — a friend
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. field — a subject
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cold — not warm
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a trace
  22. face — to confront
  23. kid — to tease
  24. field — farmland

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