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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mate — a friend
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — of water
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cold — an illness
  21. board — to get on
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. board — a committee

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