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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cue — a hint
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — to go on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cue — for pool
  9. spell — letters
  10. last — final
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. capital — a city
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spell — magic
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. land — ground
  22. capital — money
  23. saw — the tool
  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