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 · wake · wind · stick · chip · firm · mine · chair

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chip — for betting
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. firm — decided
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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