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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. march — music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — to push
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bank — for money
  15. march — the month
  16. capital — money
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bank — for money
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — newspapers

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