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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. hand — in cards
  6. shower — rain
  7. face — to confront
  8. capital — a city
  9. tear — from crying
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. club — for dancing
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. capital — money
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hand — help

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