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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kid — to tease
  3. march — music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — child
  13. bank — for money
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bank — for money
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — out of danger

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