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 water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pound — a weight
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — of ice
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. land — a country
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cold — an illness
  19. land — to come down
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. craft — boats
  22. land — ground
  23. charge — in control
  24. craft — a skill

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