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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. last — final
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — low music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. capital — money
  10. snap — to click
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bass — the fish
  19. last — to go on
  20. date — the fruit
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. last — finally
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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