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: safe · rush · degree · charge · squash · rock · hand · capital

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. charge — electricity
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — temperature
  15. charge — a price
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rock — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. capital — a city
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. charge — in control

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