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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cold — an illness
  3. hand — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — the tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hand — help
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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