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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tear — from crying
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. swing — music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. capital — money
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. key — in music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — low music
  24. prune — to trim

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