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: scale · plane · pop · capital · spell · rest · wind · squash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — music
  4. spell — magic
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — size or range
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. scale — in music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — a break
  17. capital — money
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. spell — letters
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. capital — a city
  24. pop — to visit

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