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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. content — happy
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — to recline
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. march — music
  10. kid — child
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. content — the amount
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kid — to tease
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. march — the month
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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