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 116 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: lash · land · mark · chair · capital · clip · charge · fall

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — a grade
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — in control
  6. fall — the season
  7. clip — a video
  8. land — a country
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. land — ground
  19. charge — electricity
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. land — to come down
  24. charge — a price

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