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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — moving air
  10. can — a tin
  11. rest — a break
  12. capital — money
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. can — a tin
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mouse — the animal

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