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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — a city
  7. kick — in football
  8. capital — money
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. track — to keep track
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle

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