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 116 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: cold · leaves · cell · net · deal · pound · season · snap

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — after costs
  8. snap — to click
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. season — of the year
  13. cold — not warm
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pound — a weight
  17. net — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. season — in sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. net — for catching
  24. deal — to handle

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