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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stand — to bear
  14. track — a song
  15. bass — low music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — money
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bass — the fish

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