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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — the amount
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. degree — from a university
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bat — the animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. content — happy
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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