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 · dip · cue · mug · cell · pass · fork · court

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — a city
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cell — a phone
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fork — in a road
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — to rob
  11. court — of law
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pass — a permit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. court — for sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cue — a signal
  22. capital — money
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — in a prison

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