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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. toast — bread
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pop — to visit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a hat
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — of ice
  19. scale — size or range
  20. capital — a city
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — to wash
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — on a finger

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