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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rock — music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. capital — a city
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stand — to bear
  8. capital — money
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rock — a stone
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. shower — rain
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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