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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. present — a gift
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. object — an aim
  5. capital — money
  6. kick — in football
  7. capital — a city
  8. present — the time now
  9. row — a line
  10. present — there
  11. object — a thing
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. kid — child
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — to protest
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. row — a quarrel

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