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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. spell — magic
  3. club — a group
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. season — of the year
  8. club — for golf
  9. scale — in music
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. spell — letters
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — in sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spell — a short time
  24. capital — a city

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