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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — music
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — to recline
  9. capital — a city
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pit — a hole
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — in a race
  17. capital — money
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — size or range
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. scale — in music

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