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

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. key — in music
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. key — the most important part
  9. squash — to crush
  10. face — part of the head
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lean — thin
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. can — a tin
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — money
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bat — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — a tin

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