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: safe · sharp · craft · land · squash · face · capital · court

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. craft — boats
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — a skill
  6. court — for sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. court — of a king
  10. squash — the sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. face — part of the head
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. sharp — clever
  15. capital — a city
  16. land — to come down
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — money
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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