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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. present — a gift
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — a city
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. net — for catching
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. cold — an illness
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kid — to tease
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kid — child
  24. kick — with a leg

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