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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kid — child
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stand — to bear
  22. capital — money
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. capital — a city

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