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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. net — for catching
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a match
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. current — electric
  20. net — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. capital — money

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