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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cap — of ice
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — wild animals
  6. face — part of the head
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — to confront
  11. wax — to grow
  12. game — a match
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — to point toward

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