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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cap — of ice
  10. drill — army training
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pound — a weight
  15. ball — a great time
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. snap — to click
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ball — a dance
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — a straw man

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