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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — final
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. drill — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — to go on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — the amount
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — finally
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wax — to grow
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. content — happy
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. drill — army training
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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