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 · spell · bay · ruler · snap · pit · drill · sharp

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spell — magic
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. snap — to click
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spell — letters
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — money
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. sharp — clever
  22. capital — a city
  23. drill — army training
  24. pit — in a race

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