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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fall — to drop
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cell — a phone
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — to go on
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. capital — money
  19. last — final
  20. swing — music
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — finally
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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