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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fall — to drop
  3. key — the most important part
  4. last — to go on
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — a city
  7. object — a thing
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. key — in music
  10. object — to protest
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. key — for a lock
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. capital — money
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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