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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — a lid
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. current — happening now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. current — electric
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bulb — for light

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