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: deal · wake · cap · lash · branch · capital · straw · kid

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. capital — money
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wake — a trail
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cap — a lid
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. branch — a division
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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