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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tube — the underground
  15. snap — to click
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. current — of water
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — a container

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