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: capital · land · calf · fall · cell · wind · fan · saw

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. saw — the tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in biology
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. land — ground
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — money
  22. land — a country
  23. calf — a young animal
  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