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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cold — an illness
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. row — a line
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bass — low music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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