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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a hat
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — ground
  6. capital — a city
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cap — a lid
  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