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: bear · current · degree · last · cap · cold · pit · stick

  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. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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. last — to go on
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. current — electric
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. degree — from a university
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — happening now
  16. pit — a hole
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — finally
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. last — final

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