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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. file — a document
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. drill — army training
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. file — a tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wax — to grow
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. face — to confront
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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