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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — in sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. drill — army training
  22. fall — to drop
  23. rush — hurry
  24. capital — a city

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