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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. capital — money
  3. spell — letters
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — a city
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — the season
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — a video
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — of the sea

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