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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cell — a phone
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spring — the season
  10. face — to confront
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — in a road
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. spring — a coil
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cell — in biology

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