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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. capital — a city
  5. spell — magic
  6. bat — the animal
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fork — in a road
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — letters

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