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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. firm — decided
  7. race — a contest
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — the arms race
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ball — a dance
  15. firm — steady
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — a company
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cold — not warm

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