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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — an illness
  3. craft — a skill
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. club — for golf
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. craft — boats
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. club — a group
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a dance
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for dancing

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