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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. capital — money
  5. object — a thing
  6. capital — a city
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. object — to protest
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. object — an aim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. land — a country
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pit — a hole

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