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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. shower — rain
  5. scale — in music
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cold — an illness
  9. craft — a skill
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. shower — to wash
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — boats
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cold — not warm
  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