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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. deal — to handle
  3. dip — to sink
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — a box
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rest — a break
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. season — of the year
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chest — of your body
  22. season — in sport
  23. cold — an illness
  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