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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cap — a hat
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. drill — army training
  8. cap — of ice
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. present — the time now
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — for digging
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. present — a gift

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