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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · fall · cap · chest · prune · pop · rash · straw

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chest — a box
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pop — music
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pop — to visit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — to trim
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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