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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cold — not warm
  3. suit — to fit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. dip — to sink
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. march — music
  12. content — happy
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — clothes
  15. march — the month
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cold — an illness
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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