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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — for sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — farmland
  10. cap — of ice
  11. deal — to handle
  12. land — ground
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rule — government
  16. field — a subject
  17. land — to come down
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. land — a country
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rule — a law

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