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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bore — to tire
  5. capital — a city
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — all right
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — money
  19. land — a country
  20. row — a line
  21. content — happy
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rush — hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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