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 124 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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. date — the fruit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kid — child
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cap — a lid
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. object — an aim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — to protest
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kick — in football
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cold — an illness
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. object — a thing

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