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 116 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: bat · pit · degree · spell · ruler · calf · spring · capital

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. capital — money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spring — of water
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. spell — letters
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spring — the season
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — in a race
  24. ruler — for measuring

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