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: snap · tube · kid · bass · field · vault · cap · bear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. field — a subject
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. vault — a safe
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to click
  18. kid — child
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kid — to tease
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bass — low 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