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: ball · mouse · racket · cold · pop · march · stem · current

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. current — happening now
  3. pop — soda
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. march — the month
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a great time
  14. current — of water
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pop — to visit
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — electric
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — music
  22. march — the month
  23. cold — not warm
  24. march — music

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