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: spring · wound · capital · content · swing · pitch · cabinet · scale

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitch — completely
  9. swing — in golf
  10. capital — money
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. content — happy
  17. swing — to play on
  18. scale — in music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — the season
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitch — a sports field

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