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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cap — a lid
  3. field — a subject
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pit — a hole
  8. swing — in golf
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. field — for sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — a skill
  19. swing — music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pit — in a race

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