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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mate — to breed
  17. shower — rain
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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