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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. firm — a company
  7. squash — the sport
  8. roll — a list
  9. mark — a trace
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — steady
  16. squash — to crush
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cap — a lid
  19. lean — thin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mark — a grade

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