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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. last — final
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tear — to rip
  10. face — part of the head
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — a lid
  16. snap — to click
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. face — to confront
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — finally
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitch — a sports field

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