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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wax — to grow
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mine — for digging
  22. row — a line
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. row — to paddle

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