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: bat · net · bank · cap · march · key · wind · roll

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bank — of a river
  3. roll — a list
  4. key — in music
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. march — the month
  17. net — in sport
  18. cap — of ice
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bank — for money
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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