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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. capital — money
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kid — child
  14. hand — help
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bound — tied together
  19. capital — a city
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. hand — in cards

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