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: mine · fall · net · cold · safe · bass · hide · spring

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fall — the season
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — the season
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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