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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. net — in sport
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cap — a hat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. kid — child
  10. cap — of ice
  11. net — after costs
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lean — thin
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fine — high quality
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lean — to rest against

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