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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — the season
  4. club — for golf
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — in music
  10. club — a group
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. spring — a coil
  15. court — for sport
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. scale — size or range
  18. court — of law
  19. rock — music
  20. lie — to recline
  21. club — for dancing
  22. court — of a king
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rock — a stone

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