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: bank · bear · cold · foot · fan · lie · key · band

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. key — in music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. key — the most important part
  12. band — a ring
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bank — for money
  23. key — for a lock
  24. band — a music group

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