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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. shower — rain
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spell — letters
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cold — not warm
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. capital — a city
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. shower — to wash
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cold — an illness

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