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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — money
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — there
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — the time now
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. mate — to breed
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mate — a partner
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — final

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