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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ball — a dance
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mine — for digging
  8. firm — steady
  9. kid — child
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. firm — a company
  13. present — the time now
  14. rush — hurry
  15. present — a gift
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. firm — decided
  21. present — there
  22. cold — an illness
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ball — a great time

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