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: scale · court · march · kid · cap · kick · dip · swing

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — to tease
  5. scale — in music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — for sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — child
  18. kick — in football
  19. dip — to sink
  20. march — the month
  21. swing — music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. scale — size or range
  24. dip — to dunk

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