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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. capital — money
  5. row — to paddle
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mark — a grade
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — a price
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. current — happening now
  17. charge — in control
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. charge — electricity
  20. current — electric
  21. row — a line
  22. current — of water
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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