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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rock — music
  3. bound — certain
  4. spell — letters
  5. capital — money
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bound — tied together
  8. spell — a short time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rock — a stone
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spell — magic
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — obliged
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. craft — boats
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mark — a trace

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