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: drill · stand · cold · content · snap · mug · court · lie

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stand — to bear
  4. content — the amount
  5. mug — a face
  6. drill — army training
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — of law
  9. snap — to click
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. drill — the tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mug — to rob
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mug — a cup
  24. court — for sport

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