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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — a city
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bulb — for light
  11. can — to be able to
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. kid — to tease
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. can — a tin
  22. vault — a safe
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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