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 120 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 · shower · season · trunk · capital · charge · cap · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — in sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lie — to recline
  8. charge — in control
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. charge — a price
  12. cap — a hat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. shower — rain
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — of the year
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — money

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