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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. scale — in music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cold — an illness
  8. present — the time now
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. land — ground
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stock — goods
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. present — a gift
  23. pit — in a race
  24. fan — a supporter

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