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: cap · prune · shower · fork · rest · game · bound · mouse

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rest — a break
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — tied together
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mouse — the animal

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