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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. capital — a city
  3. tear — to rip
  4. drill — the tool
  5. capital — money
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. drill — army training
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — a group
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. club — for golf
  17. dip — to sink
  18. drill — a practice

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