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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cap — of ice
  4. scale — in music
  5. track — to keep track
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rest — a break
  13. lie — to recline
  14. track — a song
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — a path
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fall — the season

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