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: fall · staff · pitcher · swing · cold · toast · dip · clip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. clip — to cut
  20. swing — in golf
  21. staff — employees
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fall — to drop
  24. toast — bread

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