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: cap · kid · spell · stick · club · season · fine · cold

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — of ice
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — in sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. season — of the year
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — all right
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — for golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spell — magic

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