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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. capital — a city
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — there
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. capital — money
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitcher — a jug

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