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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. court — for sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. court — of a king
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — magic
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wind — moving 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