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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pop — soda
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. capital — money
  6. drill — a practice
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pop — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — in sport
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wake — before a funeral

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