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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. capital — a city
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. board — to get on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — a series
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. capital — money
  24. bear — to put up with

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