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: prune · temple · hand · capital · fan · face · chip · bear

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — help
  8. bear — the animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. capital — money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chip — in a computer

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