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: club · cold · object · bay · squash · cabinet · court · ground

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. court — of law
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — a group
  6. ground — a position
  7. object — an aim
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. object — to protest
  10. club — for golf
  11. court — of a king
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. club — for dancing
  17. object — a thing
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. court — for sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ground — the earth

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