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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pound — a weight
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. capital — a city
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. land — a country
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. season — of the year
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. capital — money

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