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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cap — a lid
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cap — of ice
  5. shower — rain
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mate — a partner
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pass — to spend time

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