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: game · rest · mark · plane · squash · spring · cap · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. rest — what's left
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spring — the season
  6. dip — to sink
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — of ice
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. game — wild animals
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. squash — the sport
  24. rest — a break

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