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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fall — to drop
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — money
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spring — the season
  19. capital — a city
  20. bound — certain
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fall — to drop

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