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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. bank — for money
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. net — in sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. capital — money
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — of a river
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to confront

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