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 124 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. club — a group
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for golf
  10. clip — to cut
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. club — for dancing
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. staff — a stick
  17. clip — a video
  18. capital — money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a partner
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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