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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cold — an illness
  4. season — of the year
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — happy
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. file — a document
  12. content — the amount
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a tool
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. season — to add flavour

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