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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rest — what's left
  9. club — for dancing
  10. tube — a container
  11. hand — help
  12. capital — money
  13. rest — what's left
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a city
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rest — a break
  18. lean — thin
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. club — for golf

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