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: cap · shower · current · craft · capital · hand · key · bat

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — in cards
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cap — of ice
  7. current — electric
  8. craft — boats
  9. cap — a hat
  10. current — happening now
  11. hand — help
  12. bat — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — of water
  18. capital — a city
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — money
  23. shower — rain
  24. hand — part of the body

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