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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rash — hasty
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. drill — a practice
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — part of the head
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rash — a series
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. cap — a lid
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cap — of ice
  23. face — to confront
  24. chip — in a computer

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