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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cap — a hat
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cap — a lid
  7. net — after costs
  8. face — part of the head
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lean — to bend
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. clip — a video
  14. lean — thin
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. row — a line
  17. face — to confront
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — in sport
  20. clip — for paper
  21. face — to point toward
  22. net — for catching
  23. clip — to cut
  24. trunk — of a car

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