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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. shower — rain
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — size or range
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. craft — boats
  13. pitch — completely
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — money
  20. rock — a stone
  21. scale — in music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  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