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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. net — after costs
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chip — for betting
  9. capital — a city
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — to eat
  13. net — in sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — in control
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — a price
  19. bark — to shout
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. march — music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chip — in a computer

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