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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. cap — a hat
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — there
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — help
  21. cap — a lid
  22. present — the time now
  23. cap — of ice
  24. band — a music group

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