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 116 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: charge · capital · net · pound · wake · fan · object · sharp

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — a city
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. object — to protest
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. sharp — clever
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wake — a trail
  18. object — a thing
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — money
  23. object — an aim
  24. capital — a big letter

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