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 120 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: fall · cap · stick · spring · drill · scale · dip · capital

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. spring — the season
  4. drill — a practice
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — money
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fall — the season
  12. cap — a lid
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. cap — a hat
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spring — of water
  23. cap — of ice
  24. dip — to sink

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