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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. field — farmland
  3. bore — to drill
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bore — to tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — money
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — of ice
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a city
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — a match
  21. field — for sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitcher — a jug

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