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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. capital — a city
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. season — of the year
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. object — to protest
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rock — a stone
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. season — in sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. object — a thing
  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