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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. degree — an amount
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — for digging
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. court — of a king
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. capital — money
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — of law
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. safe — a strongbox

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