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: key · cap · lash · bowl · fall · tear · pitcher · fine

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. fall — the season
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fine — all right
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. key — in music
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. tear — from crying

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