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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cold — an illness
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — army training
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bark — to shout
  21. march — music
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — a face

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