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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — rain
  7. spell — magic
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. capital — money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fan — to cool the air

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