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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. branch — a division
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — shares
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — ground
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — a thing
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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