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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a path
  3. capital — money
  4. race — humankind
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. staff — a stick
  7. race — a contest
  8. track — to keep track
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — the arms race
  11. staff — employees
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — a song
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. foot — a measure

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