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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — a stone
  14. root — of a plant
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bore — to drill
  19. root — the cause
  20. rock — music
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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