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 · can · press · chest · game · plane · march · lean

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cap — a hat
  4. press — newspapers
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cap — a lid
  8. game — a match
  9. lean — thin
  10. march — the month
  11. press — a publisher
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — to push
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — of ice
  24. can — a tin

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