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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mug — to rob
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mug — a face
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. capital — a city
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — in music
  18. bass — low music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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