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 124 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: cabinet · capital · sharp · snap · pitch · court · pound · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. capital — a city
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. snap — to click
  7. pitch — completely
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — of the year
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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