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 124 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stock — goods
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — shares
  14. bulb — for light
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. roll — a cake
  18. face — to confront
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. roll — a list

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