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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cold — not warm
  5. club — a group
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. cold — an illness
  9. current — happening now
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. march — music
  13. current — of water
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. current — electric
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. club — for golf
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cap — a lid
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — the month

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