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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — all right
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. kid — to tease
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kid — child
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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