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: wax · arm · capital · press · squash · pop · racket · kick

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — in football
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. squash — to crush
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pop — music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. capital — money
  20. press — to push
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. press — newspapers
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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