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: swing · wake · pound · court · current · wound · cue · capital

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. court — of law
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. capital — a city
  10. wound — an injury
  11. swing — to play on
  12. current — of water
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. swing — in golf
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — money
  20. swing — music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pound — for dogs

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