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

Word bank: charge · bat · tear · capital · pitch · cue · cabinet · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. capital — money
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. charge — in control
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cue — a hint
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bat — the animal
  24. charge — electricity

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