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: staff · band · face · fall · capital · charge · current · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. capital — a city
  3. pop — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — soda
  7. charge — electricity
  8. band — a ring
  9. current — electric
  10. band — a music group
  11. charge — in control
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — part of the head
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — a stick
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. face — to point toward
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — of water
  23. charge — a price
  24. current — happening now

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