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: land · capital · roll · fan · shower · bark · craft · kick

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. land — to come down
  5. craft — boats
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — a city
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. shower — to wash
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — rain
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — to shout
  22. capital — money
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. capital — a big letter

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