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 · fall · cap · staff · wake · can · spell · deal

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. staff — employees
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. cap — of ice
  7. can — a tin
  8. land — ground
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. staff — employees
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. deal — to handle
  14. land — to come down
  15. can — to be able to
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. land — a country
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — a trail

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