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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. charge — in control
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. capital — a city
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. clip — a video
  20. mine — for digging
  21. net — after costs
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. net — in sport
  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