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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cold — an illness
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chip — for betting
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. roll — a list
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chip — to eat
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — army training
  19. rush — hurry
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. prune — to trim
  23. roll — a cake
  24. prune — to trim

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