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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — for catching
  6. capital — money
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — in sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — rain
  15. land — a country
  16. rest — a break
  17. land — to come down
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. net — after costs
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — a city
  24. shower — to wash

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