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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. season — of the year
  4. bank — for money
  5. kick — in football
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. last — to go on
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — final
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bank — of a river
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — finally
  23. fall — the season
  24. row — a line

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