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: deal · pound · mouse · cell · capital · wave · foot · degree

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — in biology
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. degree — an amount

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