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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. drill — a practice
  6. swing — in golf
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. march — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — a permit
  15. march — the month
  16. court — for sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. swing — music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a match
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. drill — army training

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