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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — an illness
  6. charge — a price
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. perch — the fish
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. charge — in control
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. charge — electricity
  20. fine — all right
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. season — in sport

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