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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. drill — army training
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. drill — a practice
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — a lid
  14. capital — money
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. branch — a division
  17. face — part of the head
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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