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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. season — of the year
  3. march — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. field — farmland
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — not warm
  17. season — in sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. cold — an illness
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. fan — to cool the air

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