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: wind · lie · pit · fine · capital · chip · spring · ball

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pit — a hole
  4. capital — a city
  5. lie — to recline
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spring — of water
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. capital — money
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — the season
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fine — all right
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wind — moving air

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