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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. content — the amount
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fall — the season
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. content — happy
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — a trail
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — money
  22. perch — the fish
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. dip — to dunk

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