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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — of a word
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. root — the cause
  6. cap — of ice
  7. root — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a dance
  11. last — to go on
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. march — music
  16. capital — money
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ground — crushed
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — a city
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ball — a great time

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