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: spell · season · plane · fall · pitcher · capital · shower · hand

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — the season
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. hand — help
  24. spell — magic

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