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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. can — to be able to
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — to come down
  9. shower — rain
  10. mug — to rob
  11. land — a country
  12. mug — a face
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — the amount
  16. snap — to click
  17. mug — a cup
  18. capital — money
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — ground
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. capital — a city
  24. cabinet — ministers

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