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 · date · kid · fork · rock · tear

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tear — from crying
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. capital — money
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rock — to move gently

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