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: face · squash · row · capital · ball · straw · kick · mug

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. squash — to crush
  3. kick — in football
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — a line
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. face — to point toward
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mug — to rob
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a dance
  23. face — to confront
  24. row — to paddle

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