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: pit · fall · board · can · cold · bark · land · nail

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — to come down
  6. board — a committee
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pit — in a race
  9. board — to get on
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. can — a tin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fall — the season
  18. can — a tin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. land — ground
  24. nail — for a hammer

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