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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. swing — music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pop — soda
  11. swing — to play on
  12. race — a contest
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fall — the season
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fine — all right
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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