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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — to wash
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — rain

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