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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — a box
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — the fish
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — low music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. clip — a video
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mouse — the animal

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