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: capital · fall · bat · safe · temple · clip · pitch · leaves

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. clip — for paper
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — a city
  24. pitch — completely

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