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: lean · cap · tube · mug · race · bass · march · club

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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 — a hat
  2. club — for dancing
  3. march — music
  4. mug — a face
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lean — thin
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. march — the month
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mug — a cup
  12. tube — a container
  13. club — a group
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. club — for golf
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  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