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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. press — a publisher
  3. press — to push
  4. march — the month
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — music
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. capital — money
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pop — soda
  16. fork — in a road
  17. branch — a division
  18. press — newspapers
  19. march — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. stock — goods
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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