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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rash — hasty
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — to handle
  10. game — wild animals
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a city
  14. saw — the tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. dip — to sink
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. game — a match

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