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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — not warm
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spring — the season
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — high quality
  24. racket — for tennis

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