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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. cap — a lid
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — low music
  7. chip — for betting
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. sharp — clever
  14. plane — a tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cap — a hat
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cold — not warm

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