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: straw · pit · drill · mate · root · cold · plane · cabinet

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. plane — a tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — a hole
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mate — to breed
  24. root — of a plant

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