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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cold — not warm
  4. row — a line
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bass — low music
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bass — the fish
  20. roll — a list
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. mug — a cup
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — in biology

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