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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — to bear
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — for paper
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. toast — bread

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