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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ground — a position
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — to drop
  6. land — a country
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fall — the season
  12. capital — money
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mug — a face
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fine — high quality
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to click
  23. mug — a cup
  24. net — in sport

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