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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chip — for betting
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. capital — money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chip — to eat
  24. plane — an aircraft

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