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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. capital — a city
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — to wash
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — low music
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — rain
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — money
  24. march — 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