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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ball — a great time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. capital — money
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mine — belonging to me

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