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: vault · fan · capital · charge · tube · clip · mate · pitch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — to breed
  4. charge — a price
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tube — a container
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mate — a partner
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. capital — money
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. charge — in control

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