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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — music
  6. game — a match
  7. pop — soda
  8. band — a ring
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — to visit
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mug — a face

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