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

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. shower — rain
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — low music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. shower — to wash
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rule — government
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — a break
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — a list
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bass — the fish

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