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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. pit — in a race
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. fork — in a road
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kick — in football
  8. mine — for digging
  9. scale — in music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pit — a hole
  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