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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fine — all right
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fine — high quality
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. face — to confront
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. file — a tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. file — a document
  21. ground — crushed
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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