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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — child
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — the animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. present — the time now
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — there
  22. bank — for money
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — a gift

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