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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cap — of ice
  3. kid — child
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pass — a permit
  8. chair — a leader
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. last — finally
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cap — a hat
  15. last — final
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mug — a face
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — to go on
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mug — a cup

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