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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cold — an illness
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cell — in biology
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. land — to come down
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — a line
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cap — a lid
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — to sink
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. land — ground
  24. leaves — of a tree

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