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: hand · game · lean · capital · plane · chip · fall · mark

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fall — the season
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — help
  6. lean — thin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a match
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lean — to bend
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. capital — a big letter
  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