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: capital · court · temple · kick · cold · object

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. capital — money
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. object — to protest
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. object — a thing
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. object — an aim
  12. court — of a king
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. capital — a city
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — in football
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. court — for sport

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