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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. face — part of the head
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — the season
  5. face — to confront
  6. present — there
  7. face — to point toward
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — a gift
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wound — an injury
  22. present — the time now
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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