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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. capital — a city
  3. degree — an amount
  4. capital — money
  5. key — in music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. perch — the fish
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. bear — the animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. drill — the tool

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