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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — of ice
  4. key — the most important part
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cap — a hat
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. board — to get on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cold — not warm
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. dip — to sink
  16. board — a committee
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — final
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. key — in music
  21. last — finally
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cold — an illness

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