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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bank — for money
  3. chest — a box
  4. bank — for money
  5. spell — magic
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spell — letters
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — of ice

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