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: capital · fan · face · chip · foot · stand · shower · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. capital — money
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. net — after costs
  5. stand — to bear
  6. net — for catching
  7. capital — a city
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. shower — rain
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to confront
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — part of the head
  24. chip — for betting

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