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: cold · ball · saw · fan · wound · bay · cap · lean

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lean — thin
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cap — a lid
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. saw — the tool

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