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 · present · bear · face · mine · hand · march · mug

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. march — music
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cap — of ice
  14. present — the time now
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a cup
  18. present — there
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. face — to confront
  21. mug — a face
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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