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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. craft — boats
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. capital — a city
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spell — magic
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. field — a subject
  19. capital — money
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. can — a tin
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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