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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. shower — rain
  3. club — for golf
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fine — high quality
  6. key — for a lock
  7. race — humankind
  8. key — the most important part
  9. net — after costs
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fine — all right
  12. suit — to fit
  13. net — for catching
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. suit — clothes
  16. net — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cold — not warm
  19. club — a group
  20. shower — to wash
  21. suit — in cards
  22. race — a contest
  23. key — in music
  24. race — the arms race

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