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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — electric
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. capital — money
  7. season — of the year
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. capital — a city
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — completely

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