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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to click
  12. craft — a skill
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. craft — boats
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. clip — for paper
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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