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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cap — a hat
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — letters
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — happy
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — finally
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. last — final

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