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: present · capital · last · sharp · plane · hand · club · mug

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hand — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — a tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. last — to go on
  16. club — a group
  17. mug — a cup
  18. last — finally
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. club — for golf
  22. present — the time now
  23. capital — a city
  24. sharp — exactly

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