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: clip · fall · land · scale · capital · wind · charge · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — money
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — a city
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. charge — in control
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — in music
  16. charge — electricity
  17. clip — for paper
  18. land — ground
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. land — to come down
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — to cut

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