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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. face — to confront
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. bore — to drill
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. face — part of the head
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fan — a supporter

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