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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · cold · toast · vault · chest · content · roll · scale

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cold — not warm
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. roll — a list
  7. tear — from crying
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. roll — a cake
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. scale — in music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chest — of your body
  16. content — happy
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. vault — a safe
  19. toast — bread
  20. content — the amount
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tear — to rip
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — a box

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