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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cold — not warm
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mug — a face
  5. cold — an illness
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mug — to rob
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a cup
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. craft — a skill
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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