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: fall · cell · club · ground · temple · stand · race · capital

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stand — to bear
  4. race — the arms race
  5. ground — crushed
  6. club — a group
  7. race — a contest
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. race — humankind
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fall — the season
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. club — for dancing
  17. capital — money
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — for golf
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. capital — a city

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