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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — a city
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rush — hurry
  23. capital — money
  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