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: wind · hide · cold · perch · ground · bank · pit · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — not warm
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — the earth
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bank — for money

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