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: scale · shower · race · row · kick · kid · cap · fall

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. scale — in music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. row — a line
  8. race — humankind
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — child
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. race — a contest
  15. cap — of ice
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — the season
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kid — to tease
  22. race — the arms race
  23. shower — rain
  24. scale — size or range

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