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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rule — government
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — a division
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. rule — a law
  22. net — for catching
  23. cap — of ice
  24. coach — a trainer

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