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: mug · season · cold · march · cap · cabinet · file · kid

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. file — a document
  3. mug — a face
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. march — music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cold — an illness
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kid — child
  22. season — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — to add flavour

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