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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rest — a break
  3. season — in sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cue — a hint
  8. season — of the year
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — to add flavour

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