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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. race — humankind
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. dip — to sink
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — a container
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. race — a contest
  19. rash — a series
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tube — the underground
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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