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: game · capital · shower · land · rush · season · rash · ruler

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rash — hasty
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. capital — money
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. shower — rain
  24. land — ground

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