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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. land — a country
  4. kick — in football
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bore — to tire
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. capital — money
  23. staff — employees
  24. leaves — of a tree

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