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: lie · fork · degree · fall · vault · hand · wind · capital

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hand — help
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fall — to drop
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — from a university
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lie — to recline
  17. capital — a city
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. capital — money
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lie — an untruth

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