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: cue · tear · sharp · arm · pit · wake · bulb · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cue — a hint
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — clever
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — in a race
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cue — for pool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. capital — a city
  24. bulb — of a plant

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