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: row · mug · leaves · pop · degree · game · cap · stick

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mug — to rob
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. row — a line
  9. pop — soda
  10. mug — a cup
  11. game — wild animals
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mug — a face
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pop — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — to visit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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