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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fine — all right
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. root — the cause
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — ground
  12. mug — a face
  13. fine — high quality
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. root — of a word
  19. mug — a cup
  20. capital — money
  21. land — to come down
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. land — a country

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