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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. game — wild animals
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spring — the season
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. game — a match
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. march — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spring — of water

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