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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. court — for sport
  5. key — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — for a lock
  10. court — of law
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — of a king
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wake — a trail
  19. capital — money
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. march — music
  24. rush — a thrill

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