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: saw · cold · cap · roll · wave · plane · row · straw

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. roll — a list
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cold — not warm
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. roll — a cake
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. row — a line
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. straw — a straw man

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