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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bass — the fish
  4. craft — boats
  5. ball — a great time
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cold — not warm
  8. craft — a skill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bass — low music
  14. cold — an illness
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. shower — rain
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. vault — a safe
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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