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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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. sharp — with an edge
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mine — for digging
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — soda
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mouse — for a computer

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