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 116 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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. firm — a company
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — money
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — thin
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. firm — decided
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. firm — steady
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lean — to bend

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