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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cold — not warm
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. land — to come down
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. land — a country
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. tear — from crying

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