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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fine — all right
  3. squash — the sport
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. scale — in music
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pit — in a race
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — to breed
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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