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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cell — in biology
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. suit — clothes
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — belonging to me

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