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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitch — completely
  4. capital — a city
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fine — high quality
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. scale — size or range
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — music
  23. capital — money
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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