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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. file — a document
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. swing — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. file — a tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cold — not warm
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cap — a hat
  24. leaves — to go away

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