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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rest — a break
  11. mug — a face
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. court — for sport
  14. capital — money
  15. court — of a king
  16. mug — to rob
  17. face — part of the head
  18. capital — a city
  19. face — to confront
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — rain
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rest — what's left

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