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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pass — a permit
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — money
  9. land — to come down
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. land — a country
  24. scale — for weighing

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