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: ground · capital · shower · coach · chip · snap · safe · wax

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. shower — to wash
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. capital — money
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. snap — to click
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. shower — rain

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