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: spring · snap · mark · face · last · fall · capital · firm

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. capital — a city
  3. face — to confront
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spring — the season
  9. capital — money
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. firm — steady
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fall — the season
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fall — to drop
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. firm — a company
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to click
  24. firm — decided

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