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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. last — finally
  3. capital — money
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bound — tied together
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rash — a series
  8. shower — rain
  9. last — final
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wind — moving air
  12. last — to go on
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — a cup
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bound — certain
  23. mug — a face
  24. mouse — the animal

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