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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — happy
  4. capital — money
  5. spell — letters
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. date — the fruit
  10. rock — a stone
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lie — to recline
  19. toast — bread
  20. rock — music
  21. spell — magic
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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