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: capital · cap · shower · deal · kid · bank · dip · track

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. track — a song
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cap — a lid
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kid — to tease
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. shower — to wash
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. shower — rain
  17. track — a path
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. kid — child
  22. track — to keep track
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bank — for money

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