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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cap — of ice
  4. season — of the year
  5. cap — a hat
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. court — of law
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. court — of a king
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — for sport
  19. chest — a box
  20. lean — thin
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chest — of your body

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