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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cell — in biology
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pound — a weight
  9. capital — money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. club — for dancing
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. club — for golf
  21. ground — crushed
  22. club — a group
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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