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 120 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: foot · shower · perch · season · cold · stock · dip · cabinet

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stock — goods
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. dip — to sink
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. shower — rain
  18. stock — shares
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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