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: press · kick · capital · safe · march · content · leaves · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. game — a match
  4. march — the month
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — a city
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. press — a publisher
  14. kick — in football
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. capital — money
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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