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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. club — for dancing
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — a series
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — obliged
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rash — hasty
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — money
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. club — a group

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