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 120 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pass — a permit
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. craft — boats
  14. march — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cold — an illness

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