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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spring — of water
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. root — of a word
  13. spring — the season
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. root — of a plant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — the cause
  24. hide — animal skin

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