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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — help
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bound — certain
  6. rock — music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. hand — in cards
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. scale — in music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. court — of a king
  24. rest — a break

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