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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — money
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — a permit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wave — with your hand

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