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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — to come down
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — the season
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — music
  17. land — a country
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hand — help
  22. capital — a city
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. spring — of water

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