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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · cell · capital · lie · date · degree

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. degree — from a university
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. degree — an amount
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. date — the fruit
  9. capital — money
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — a city
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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