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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. net — after costs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cap — of ice
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. net — in sport
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cue — a signal
  21. game — a match
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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