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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — letters
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spell — a short time
  7. capital — a city
  8. rock — music
  9. shower — rain
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. snap — to click
  12. degree — from a university
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cap — of ice
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. capital — money
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — magic
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. degree — temperature

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