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: suit · capital · land · bay · spell · cold · fall · temple

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. capital — money
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. spell — magic
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cold — not warm
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fall — the season
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — letters
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — to come down
  24. suit — clothes

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