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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. land — ground
  4. present — there
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — a gift
  7. land — to come down
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — a country
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — money
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bulb — for light
  20. present — the time now
  21. branch — a division
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. foot — a measure

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