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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. game — a match
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — final
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — to go on
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. face — to confront
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. stand — to bear
  19. capital — a city
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. shower — rain
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. last — finally

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