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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — the animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. last — to go on
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. last — final
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. scale — in music
  14. pound — a weight
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — finally
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. deal — an agreement
  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