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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spell — magic
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cold — not warm
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. drill — a practice
  12. season — of the year
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — letters
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cold — an illness

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