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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hand — help
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. root — of a word
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lie — to recline
  8. last — to go on
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. hand — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — to bear
  18. root — of a plant
  19. last — finally
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — the cause
  24. lie — an untruth

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