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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ground — crushed
  5. vault — a safe
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bass — the fish
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. suit — to fit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mate — a partner
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ground — a position

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