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: dip · pitcher · spring · foot · cap · content · capital · coach

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. content — happy
  4. foot — a measure
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cap — a hat
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — to sink
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spring — a coil
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. spring — of water

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