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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bass — the fish
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — the earth
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. ground — a position
  9. vault — a safe
  10. last — to go on
  11. drill — army training
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — low music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — a practice
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — final
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cap — a lid
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  24. drill — the tool

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