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: file · bore · bear · jam · cold · season · nail · swing

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — in sport
  3. cold — not warm
  4. swing — music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. file — a tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. file — a document
  13. swing — to play on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. swing — in golf
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. file — a line of people
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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