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: mark · cold · kid · wave · squash · content · cabinet · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. content — the amount
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kid — child
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cold — an illness
  21. content — happy
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cold — not warm

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