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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — after costs
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — of water
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — a city
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. capital — money
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. current — electric
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. degree — from a university
  22. kid — child
  23. current — happening now
  24. net — in sport

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