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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. file — a document
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. march — the month
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — of a word
  21. march — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. root — the cause
  24. temple — side of the head

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