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. The water is too ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bound — certain
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cold — an illness
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. key — in music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. sharp — clever
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kid — child
  19. bound — tied together
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. leaves — lets stay

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