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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — a city
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. capital — money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. root — of a word
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — obliged
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wind — moving air
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — certain
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. dip — a sauce

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