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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. fine — all right
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — there
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. track — to keep track
  14. present — a gift
  15. fine — high quality
  16. present — the time now
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. capital — money
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — a song
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — a penalty

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