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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — to recline
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chip — for betting
  21. capital — a city
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. lie — an untruth

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