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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. season — in sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. club — for golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. capital — a city
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. chest — a box
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. season — of the year
  16. club — a group
  17. fall — the season
  18. rock — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. snap — to click
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. leaves — to go away

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