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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. shower — rain
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a partner
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — in biology
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fall — the season
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mouse — for a computer

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