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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. present — the time now
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — there
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. ball — a dance
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — a gift
  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