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

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. scale — in music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. capital — money
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. object — to protest
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. capital — a city
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. scale — size or range

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