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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ball — a dance
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. capital — money
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. scale — in music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a city
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ball — a great time
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. dip — to sink
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tube — the underground
  24. straw — a straw man

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