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: cold · content · spell · kick · cue · capital · mug · scale

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mug — a face
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. scale — in music
  8. capital — money
  9. kick — in football
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mug — to rob
  15. content — the amount
  16. capital — a city
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cue — for pool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mug — a cup
  22. content — happy
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cold — not warm

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