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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — final
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — to go on
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — the underground
  10. deal — to handle
  11. last — finally
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. tube — a container
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fine — all right
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cold — an illness
  22. kid — child
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. deal — a big deal

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