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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — help
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — not warm
  15. field — farmland
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. field — for sport
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. plane — a tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — a phone
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a hat

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