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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hand — help
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bass — the fish
  15. board — to get on
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — low music
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cell — in biology
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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