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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — ground
  5. scale — size or range
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — for sport
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spring — of water
  10. field — a subject
  11. spring — a coil
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pound — a weight
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. field — farmland
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. scale — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — the season
  24. scale — for weighing

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