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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. field — farmland
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — money
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — to shout
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a city
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chair — a leader
  19. field — for sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — a subject
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. nail — on a finger

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