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: pitcher · game · rash · capital · spell · charge · snap · lean

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — a city
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. lean — thin
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rash — hasty
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — a series
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spell — magic
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to bend
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. game — a match
  24. snap — to click

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