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 120 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: mug · rule · cold · leaves · fall · sharp · spring · craft

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — the season
  7. rule — a law
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — the season
  10. mug — a face
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. fall — to drop
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rule — government
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. craft — boats
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. spring — of water
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fall — to drop

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