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

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mark — a grade
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. key — in music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. capital — a city
  19. game — a match
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. toast — bread
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. clip — to cut
  24. toast — the most admired

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