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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a hint
  4. foot — a measure
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cue — a signal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. capital — money
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. capital — a city
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — there
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — the time now
  24. foot — the bottom

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