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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. root — the cause
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cold — an illness
  11. march — music
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. face — to confront
  15. mark — a trace
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rest — a break
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — of a word
  21. stand — to bear
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rest — what's left

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