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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. present — the time now
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cold — an illness
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — help
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — in cards
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. present — there
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. present — a gift
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cap — a hat

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