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: cold · pitcher · capital · suit · pop · lie · kid · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cold — an illness
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pop — soda
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pop — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. suit — to fit
  19. capital — money
  20. kid — child
  21. pop — to visit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lie — an untruth

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