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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — of the year
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — in sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. fine — all right
  11. rest — what's left
  12. staff — a stick
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — a thing
  15. capital — money
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — what's left
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. object — an aim
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. jam — in traffic

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