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: bass · cell · cap · present · vault · wake · lie · coach

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. present — there
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — a gift
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wake — a trail
  14. present — the time now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lie — to recline
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

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