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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. row — a line
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. court — for sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. row — to paddle
  24. lie — an untruth

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