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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chest — a box
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — ground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — to come down
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rest — a break
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — a hat
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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