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: pound · game · fan · cold · wake · shower · cap · key

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cold — an illness
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — in music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. game — a match
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — of ice
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wake — a trail
  23. shower — rain
  24. cold — not warm

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