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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · leaves · cold · spell · squash · cue · pit · temple

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spell — letters
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cue — a hint
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — in a race
  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