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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. fine — all right
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — a face
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. hand — part of the body

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