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: jam · bay · race · deal · hand · season · cold · pop

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. season — of the year
  4. cold — not warm
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — help
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. hand — in cards
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. race — a contest
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cold — an illness
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. season — in sport
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. deal — a big deal

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