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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cold — an illness
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. shower — to wash
  9. season — of the year
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cap — a hat
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. season — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. fine — high quality
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fine — all right
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cold — the Cold War

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