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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. capital — a city
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. capital — money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. land — ground
  24. content — happy

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