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: season · charge · cap · cold · vault · clip · stock · pitch

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stock — shares
  8. season — of the year
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — a video
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — in sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. charge — a price
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cap — of ice
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stock — goods
  21. charge — in control
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cold — not warm

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