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: snap · capital · kid · plane · club · pitch · dip · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. club — for dancing
  3. plane — a tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. capital — money
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitch — completely
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. capital — a city
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — child
  16. club — a group
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. dip — to sink
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. club — for golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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