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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. degree — from a university
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stock — goods
  11. capital — money
  12. can — a tin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. dip — to sink
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rush — hurry
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. degree — temperature

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