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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. club — a group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. club — for dancing
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. season — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. capital — money
  17. rest — a break
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chest — a box
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fine — a penalty

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