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: capital · plane · bore · kick · mate · tear · spring · staff

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. capital — money
  10. plane — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. kick — in football
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mate — a friend
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. staff — employees
  23. mate — to breed
  24. tear — from crying

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