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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — a group
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — for golf
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. capital — a city
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fine — all right
  21. rash — a series
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. club — for dancing

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