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: track · sharp · court · kid · capital · pound · safe · march

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. march — the month
  3. kid — child
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. march — music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. capital — money
  15. court — of a king
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. court — of law
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kid — to tease
  20. court — for sport
  21. march — the month
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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