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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. capital — money
  4. clip — to cut
  5. spell — magic
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. court — for sport
  9. capital — a city
  10. court — of law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. court — of a king
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — letters
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. board — a committee
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spell — a short time
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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