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 · clip · mine · arm · swing · mark · mate · date

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — a city
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. date — the fruit
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. swing — music
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. capital — money
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. swing — to play on

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