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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. capital — money
  3. tube — a container
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. clip — for paper
  9. capital — a city
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. club — for golf
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pit — a hole
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — a video
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — to cut

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