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 · mouse · court · suit · scale · sharp · season · stock

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — of the year
  8. suit — clothes
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. scale — in music
  12. suit — in cards
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. court — of law
  20. suit — to fit
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. scale — size or range
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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