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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · court · chip · cell · roll · face · current · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cell — in biology
  3. roll — a list
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — a city
  6. face — to point toward
  7. court — for sport
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. court — of a king
  11. current — happening now
  12. roll — a cake
  13. current — electric
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. capital — money
  18. court — of law
  19. face — to confront
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cell — a phone
  22. current — of water
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. roll — on a roll

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