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: capital · temple · sharp · band · jam · spring · scale · drill

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. band — a ring
  3. spring — of water
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spring — a coil
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. scale — size or range
  11. drill — army training
  12. spring — the season
  13. drill — a practice
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. drill — the tool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. scale — in music
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. sharp — clever
  24. jam — in traffic

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