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 116 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: branch · leaves · mate · court · capital · kid · fall · mug

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kid — child
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mate — a friend
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fall — the season
  11. capital — money
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. court — for sport
  15. mug — a face
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mug — a cup
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a partner

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