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: face · rule · cap · wind · wake · capital · land · nail

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. land — to come down
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. land — ground
  7. rule — a law
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rule — government
  13. face — to point toward
  14. capital — a city
  15. wake — a trail
  16. land — a country
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a hat
  24. face — to confront

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