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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. ball — a dance
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cold — an illness
  13. club — for golf
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a great time
  18. club — a group
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. mug — a face
  22. game — a match
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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