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: plane · patient · sharp · land · wind · toast · capital · ruler

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. capital — a city
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — to come down
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. capital — money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. land — a country
  21. toast — bread
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. plane — a tool

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