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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. land — to come down
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. drill — the tool
  5. board — to get on
  6. capital — a city
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hand — help
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. board — a committee
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — a country
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. foot — a measure
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — ground
  24. drill — army training

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