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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mug — to rob
  7. capital — a city
  8. mug — a cup
  9. content — happy
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — for digging
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mug — a face
  15. degree — an amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitch — completely
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitch — a sports field

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