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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a dance
  3. race — a contest
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spell — a short time
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. race — humankind
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. straw — a straw man

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