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 116 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: march · cold · bat · ball · board · rush · lie · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — the month
  10. board — a committee
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lie — to recline
  18. rush — hurry
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — music
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. lie — an untruth

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