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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. net — for catching
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cap — of ice
  8. field — for sport
  9. shower — rain
  10. net — in sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. field — a subject
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. net — after costs
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a lid

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