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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. capital — money
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — a trail
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a city
  13. charge — a price
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mate — a friend
  18. race — humankind
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — in control
  21. race — a contest
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — the arms race

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