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

Word bank: ground · rash · saw · band · cap · court · bay · pass

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. court — for sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. band — a ring
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rash — a series
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. band — a music group
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — the tool

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