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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. charge — electricity
  4. row — to paddle
  5. charge — a price
  6. object — to protest
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bank — of a river
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — to wash
  12. object — an aim
  13. spell — letters
  14. charge — in control
  15. spell — magic
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — rain
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — the Cold War

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