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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spell — magic
  3. last — to go on
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cold — not warm
  6. last — final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — letters
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. last — finally
  24. ruler — for measuring

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