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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. capital — money
  4. fall — to drop
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. kick — in football
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fall — the season
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. degree — an amount
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — a match
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. degree — from a university
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. capital — a city
  24. lash — to lash out

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