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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. capital — a city
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. capital — money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. deal — a big deal

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