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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — money
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — to crush
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bank — of a river
  15. squash — the sport
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — the season
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pound — a weight
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pound — to hit hard

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