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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. band — a ring
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cold — an illness
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. band — a music group
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. root — of a word
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pass — a permit
  20. root — the cause
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pass — to spend time

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