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 120 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: face · band · game · cap · hide · wound · scale · track

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. track — a path
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — part of the head
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — size or range
  16. face — to confront
  17. track — to keep track
  18. band — a music group
  19. game — a match
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — of ice

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