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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — a city
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hand — help
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — hasty
  9. field — for sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fine — all right
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fine — high quality
  21. craft — boats
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. field — a subject

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