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: foot · club · fan · capital · land · craft · present · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. craft — a skill
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. craft — boats
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. land — to come down
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. present — there
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — for golf
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. present — the time now
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. present — a gift
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. club — a group
  24. capital — money

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